Feeding and coating device



Aug 9, 1966 w. RosENsTr-:IN ETAL 3,265,035

FEEDING AND COATING DEVICE BY T. i

if wswzKs' w. RosENs'rElN ETAL 3,265,035

FEEDING AND COATING DEVICE Aug. 9, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July s1, 1963 7 jf I? i; 44 Mi A@ i MQ;

Aug 9, 1966 w. RosENsTEnN ETAL 3,265,035

FEEDING AND COATING DEVICE Filed July 5l, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug- 9, 1966 w. RosENsTr-:IN ETAL 3,265,035

FEEDING AND CO'ATING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug- 9, 1966 w. RosENsTElN ETAL 3,265,035

FEEDING AND COATING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 5l, 1963 United States Patent O 3,265,035 FEEDING AND CGATING DEVICE William Roseustein and Frederick H. Bultman, Racine, Wis., assignors to Walker Manufacturing Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 31, 1963, Ser. No. 298,927 5 Claims. (Cl. 118-211) This invention relates to feeding devices, and more particularly to apparatus for automatically and repeatedly applying an adhesive substance to stacked objects and delivering them to a conveyor.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved feeding device of this nature which requires a minimum of attendance during operation and is capable of applying the adhesive substance and delivering the objects at a high rate of speed.

It is another object to provide an improved feeding device of this character which is reliable in use, will repeatedly 4apply the required amount of adhesive, and will deliver the objects at accurately Ilocated delivery points.

It is also an object to provide an improved feeding device having these characteristics which is capable of applying adhesive to and delivering `a pair of objects simultaneously.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of the feeding device, elements being omitted;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the device taken in the direction of arrow 2 of FIGURE 1, parts being omitted or broken away;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a pair of gripping jaws and the feed plate;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation taken at the base of a rack yand showing the manner in which the strippers engage a cap;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 3, parts being broken away, and showing the engagement of a detent with a cap recess;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 3 and showing the engagement of -a gripping jaw with the cap rim;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectionalview in elevation showing a glue head;

FIG. 8 is a partially schematic plan View showing the manner in which the novel feeding device may feed a pair of caps onto molds carried by a conveyor turntable;

FIG. 9 is -an enlarged cross-sectional View in elevation taken along the line 9 9 of FIGURE 8 and showing the positioning of an end cap on a mold containing fibrous material which is to be compressed into a filter element, the mold lid being open; and

FIG. l is a view similar to FIGURE 9 but showing the mold lid in closed :position and the mold ram in its compressing position.

Briefly, the illustrated embodiment of the invention is adapted to automatcially and successively feed pairs of circular sheet metal caps from the bottoms of two stacks onto a pair of heads which apply glue to their undersides, and to then transfer the caps onto pairs of molds which are carried by `an endless conveyor and cont-ain fibrous material which is to be compacted into annular filter elements to the ends of which the caps are to be secured. The device comprises -a' pair of stack supports or racks with a reciprocating feed plate slidably mounted therebelow, the feed plate having two pairs of strippers 3,2%,035 Patented August 9, 1966 ice which remove from the stack and advance the two lowermost caps during each forward stroke. A pair of springlike detents are adapted to snap into recesses in the upper Icap surfaces as they reach their glue-applying position, so that when the feed plate is retracted, it will slide under the detained caps which wi-ll drop by gravity, after the plate is retracted, onto a pair of glue heads. These heads are mounted for simultaneous vertical reciprocation below the dropping caps, `and are in their uppermost position when the caps drop onto them, the glue heads having surfaces engaging the undersides of the caps with holes through which glue may be fed onto the cap undersurfaces.

Two cap grippers are. provided, each gripper having a pair of jaws through which the caps drop onto the glue heads. The jaws then close on the cap rims, the glue heads are retracted downwardly and the grippers move forward with the caps to a delivery position.

The grippers are carried by a slide plate which is actuated by two cylinders in tandem. The gripper slide plate is adapted to alternately reach either of two extended positions, so that pairs of caps may be successively dropped on molds arranged in inner rand outer rows on a conveyor turntable. The jaws of each gripper are carried by arms having a common pivot on the gripper slide plate, .and also having cam surfaces between which a gripper actuating pin extends. This pin is controlled by a double acting cylinder carried by the gripper slide plate, and acts to momentarily spread apart the jaws of the grippers as they reach their delivery position. The caps will then drop onto the molds, after which the mold covers may be closed and the fibrous material within the molds compressed against the cap undersides. The gripper slide plate will then be retracted in readiness for another cyle.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the feeding device is generally indicated at 11 and comprises a base generally indicated at 12 which consists of horizontal frame members 13, vertical members 14 and diagonal members 15 forming a box-like frame which supports a rectangular platform 16 formed from an inverted channel member. A pair of parallel risers 17 rest on the outer forward portions of platform 16 and support a pai-r of plates 18 on which rest a pair of slide blocks 19, as seen in FIGURE 2. A pair of rack supporting members 21 are secured to the outside of blocks 19 and extend upwardly therefrom, and a pair of angularly disposed blocks 22 are secured to the facing surfaces of members 21. An inclined plate 23 extends between and is supported by blocks 22, and serves to support a pair of stack-supporting assemblies or racks, each of which is generally indicated at 24.

Racks 24 are intended to retain stacks of caps, each cap 4being generally indicated at 25 and best seen in FIGURE 5. These are `sheet metal caps of circular shape, each having turned-down outer rims 26, a downwardly and inwardly extending shoulder 27 inwardly of rim 26, a gradually upwardly sloping main portion 28 extending inwardly from wall 26, and a downward central recess or depression 29. The caps are used to form part of a lter element generally indicated at 31 in FIGURE 9, the filter element comprising an annular compressed fibrous body 32 surmounted by cap 25 to which it is secured by an adhesive substance such as glue. Elements 31 are made by la plurality of molds generally indicated at 33 carried by a turntable conveyor 34 seen in FIGURE 8. Although the apparatus and method for making the filter elements are shown and described in detail in copending applications Ser. No. 267,486, filed Mar. 25, 1963, and Ser. No. 267,487, tiled Mar. 25, 1963, assigned to the assignee of the present application,

it may be stated for purpose of the present description that each mold has a ram 35 which is slidable between a lower position shown in FIGURE 9 and a compressing position shown in FIGURE 10. Each mold is also provided with a cover 36 swingable between an open position as shown in FIGURE 9 and a closed position as shown in FIGURE 10. With the parts as shown in FIGURE 9, loose fibrous material previously treated with a resin is blown into the mold cavity and cap 25 placed thereover with shoulder 27 resting on the upper lip of mold 33, and recess 29 projecting downwardly into a complementary recess in a central core 37 Within mold 33. Glue will have been previously applied to the underside of main -portion 28 of cap 25. Cover 36 will then be closed and `locked in its FIGURE position, and ram 35 moved upwardly into its compressing position. The compressed fibrous material will then be partially cured and rigidized by heat supplied by heaters 38 and 39 as it travels around conveyor 34, until it reaches the station at which cover 36 will be opened and filter element 31 ejected from the mold by upward movement of ram 35.

It may also be mentioned `at this point that molds 33 are mounted in pairs on conveyor 34, the pairs being arranged alternately on inner and outer circles, as seen in FIGURE 8. It is therefore necessary that pairs of caps be alternately fed different distances so as to be placed alternately on the inner and outer mold pairs.

Each rack 24 comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced parallel rods 39 extending downwardly and rearwardly, as seen in FIGURE l, the rods extending through a pair of circular apertures 41 in plate 23 and being held in spaced-apart relationship by members 42 and 43 spaced above plate 23. The lower ends of the forward and rear rods 39 in each rack are curved so that the lowermost of the stack of caps therein will be horizontally disposed.

A feed plate 44 is disposed immediately below the lower ends of rods 39. Plate 44 is of rectangular shape and has a smooth upper surface so that the lowermost caps of the two stacks will rest thereon as the plate reciprocates between a rearward or retracted position and a forward position. Plate 44 is supported and guided by slots in slide blocks 19, as seen in FIGURE 2, and carries on its upper surface two pairs of strippers 45, seen in FIGURES l and 3. Strippers 45 are secured to plate 44 a sucient distance rearwardly from its forward edge to permit plate 44 to fully support each pair of caps as they are pushed forwardly by the strippers. Each pair of strippers is adapted to engage the lowermost cap of a stack as plate 44 moves forwardly, and for this purpose the strippers are of elongated and rearwardly tapered shape, the forward shoulders of the strippers being engageable with the cap rims on either side of line extending through the cap center. The rear ends of strippers 45 are flush with the upper surface of plate 44, the strippers being set in recesses in the plate, so that the strippers can slide past the stacked caps when retracted. A double acting uid motor 46 is mounted at the rear of platform 16 `by means of a transverse bracket 47, and has a piston rod 48 connected by a clevis 49 to the rearward edge of plate 44, piston rod 48 extending through a clearance aperture 51 in bracket 47.

A pair of retaining plates 52 are secured to the forward edge of plate 23 above plate 44. Each retaining plate has a main horizontal portion and an upwardly extending portion secured to plate 23 by bolts 53. The size of each plate 52 is such that it will overlap its corresponding -cap 25 as the cap is delivered to its gluelapplying position.

Each plate 52 is centrally apertured, and a spring-like detent 54 is disposed immediately above each plate 52 and has a forward end extending downwardly through the plate aperture. Each detent 54 is in the path of caps 25 as they are advanced by strippers 45, and is adapted to be flexed upwardly by each -cap 25 as the cap is moved to the glue-applying station, and to snap downwardly into recess 29 of the cap, thus preventing the cap from 'being retracted rearwardly as plate 44 is retracted, so that the cap will drop after plate 44 has been withdrawn.

The caps will drop onto a pair of glue heads generally indicated at 55 which are disposed directly below retaining plates 52 and are reciprocable between a lower retracted position and an upper glue-applying position by a vertically disposed double acting fluid motor 56. More particularly, a bracket 57 is secured to and extends forwardly from forward vertical members 14 of base 12, and the lower end of motor 56 is secured to this bracket. A cross head 58 is secured to piston rod 59 of motor 56, and glue heads 55 are secured to cross head 58 on opposite sides of piston rod 59 and extend upwardly therefrom. A pair of guide rods 60 are secured to the outer ends of cross head 58 and extend downwardly through guide bushings 61 carried by a stationary cross bar 62 secured to the upper end of motor 56.

Each glue head 55 is constructed as seen in FIGURE 7, having a narrow cylindrical lower portion 63 disposed within an aperture 64 in cross head 58, and a wider cylindrical upper portion 65 to which is secured a top 66 having a sloping upper surface 67 complementary to the undersurface of cap portion 28, and a central recess 68 for receiving depressed portion 29 of the cap.

A exible conduit 69 is secured by a coupling 71 to a glue inlet port 72 extending upwardly from the lower end of head portion 63. The other-end (not shown) of each conduit 69 is connected to a pressure source of liquid adhesive such as glue. A passageway or conduit 73 extends upwardly from port 72 and has a valve seat 74 at its upper end, the seat being closable by a spherical valve member 75 urged upwardly by a spring 76, the lower end of the spring being supported by a bushing 77. A transverse bore 78 is disposed above valve seat 74, and a valve operating spool 79 is slidably mounted in bore 78, being urged to the right in FIGURE 7 'by a spring 81, the outer end of which is supported by a plug 82. Spool 79 has an actuating portion 83 on the right hand end thereof, this actuating portion extending outwardly from head portion 65 and being engageable with a cam 84 mounted on a bracket 85 secured to and extending upwardly from cross member 62 by a member 86. Cams 84 are each adjustable in a vertical direction by means of a bolt-and-slot connection 87 with bracket 85, seen in FIGURE 2, and are so shaped that they will be engaged by actuators S3 during each up and downward stroke of head 55, momentarily shifting spool 79 to the left in FIGURE 7.

Spool 79 is provided with a recess 88 which will normally be aligned with spherical valve member 75 when spool 79 is in its right hand position, as seen in FIGURE 7, thus permitting valve member 75 to engage seat 74. When spool 79 is moved to the left, however, it will unseat valve member 75, permitting glue under pressure to ow upwardly through valve seat 74 to a passageway 89 leading to a chamber 91 between member 66 and portion 65 of head 55. A plurality of circumferentially spaced passages 92 lead upwardly and outwardly from chamber 91 to surface 67 of member 66 so that glue will be delivered to surface 67 in readiness for application to the undersurface of a cap 25 resting thereon. The arrangement will be such that only sufficient glue will be delivered during each reciprocating stroke of each head 55 to properly coat cap 25. For this purpose, the upper portions 93 of passages 92 are of restricted diameter, and lead to wider portions 94 at surface 67 for retaining the glue.

A gripper slide plate 95 is slidably mounted in a pair of slots in lblocks 19 below feed plate 44 but above the upper position of heads 55. A pair of grippers generally indicated at 96 is secured to the forward end of plate 95, each gripper comprising two gripper jaws 97 carried by arms 98. Gripper jaws 97 are of arcuate shape, having downwardly and inwardly sloping upper surfaces 99, as seen in FIGURE 6, and inwardly facing grooves 101 with the same radius of curvature and depth as cap rims 26, so that the rims may be retained therein. Jaws 97 are adapted to grip the sides of caps 25, and are carried by arms 98 by means of slots 102 in the outsides of the jaws which receive arcuate portions of the arms. The portions of arms 98 extending rearwardly from jaws 97 are wider, and are vconnected to plate 95 by a common pivot 103. The wider portions of arms 98 are supported lby wear plates 104 attached to plate 95, and the larms are urged toward each other by a wire spring 105 mounted on pivot 103 and engaging the outsides of the arms. The facing edges of arms 98 have aligned recesses forming cam surfaces which define a tear-shaped aperture 106, seen best in FIGURE 3. A pin 107 projects upwardly through this aperture and is carried by a slide 108, seen in FIGURE 2. This slide is supported beneath plate 95 by a pair of tracks 109, and is actuated by a double-acting fluid motor 110 secured to the underside of plate 95, as seen in FIGURE 1. Clearance recesses 111 for pins 107 are provided in the forward edge of plate 95. When pin 107 is in its rearward position as seen in FIGURE 3, it will be in the wider portion of aperture 106, permitting jaws 97 to 'be brought together by spring 105. However, when pin 107 is moved forwardly, it will cam arms 98 outwardly, spreading jaws 97 apart and releasing a cap held thereby so that it may drop on head 55.

Plate 95 is actuated by two double-acting fluid motors 112 and 113 which are arranged in tandem as seen in FIGURE 1. More particularly, the rearward end of motor 112, which is the head end, is connected by a bracket 114 to the rear end of table 16, and the piston rod 115 of motor 112 is secured by a coupling 116 to the head end of motor 113. The piston rod 117 of motor 113 is in turn secured by a bracket 118 and a pin 119 to the underside of plate 95. The arrangement is such that when it is desired to deliver caps to a pair of molds 33 in the outer circle of turntable 34, only motor 112 or 113 will be actuated, whereas to deliver a pair of caps to a pair of molds in the inner circle, both motors 112 and 113 will be actuated.

In describing the operation, it should be kept in mind that the above-described components of unit 11 may be, and normally would be, controlled by limit switches and electrical circuitry (not shown) which will cause them to operate repeatedly and automatically in the proper sequence and in the proper timed relation to the speed of turntable 34. Starting with feed plate 44 and gripper slide plate 95 in ltheir FIGURE l positions, glue heads 55 will be in their upper position immediately below grippers 96, and the grippers will be in their closed position although they will not be gripping caps at this time. Feed plate 44 will be moved forwardly by motor 46, and will slide under the lowermost caps 25 in the two stacks until these caps are engaged by strippers 45. It should be kept in mind that the configuration of caps 25 is such that they will not be in nested relation, so that when the strippers engage the lowermost caps, the latter will slide forwardly without interference. The forward travel of the caps will continue until they pass under retaining plates 52 and detents 54, and the forward ends of the detents snap downwardly into recesses 29.

Feed plate 44 will then be retracted, and as this retracting movement starts, pins 107 will move forwardly, spreading jaws 97 of grippers 96 apart. Detents 54 will prevent caps 52 from moving rearwardly, and the caps will slide olf plate 44 and drop through the open jaws of grippers 96 onto heads 55. Sloping surfaces 99 of jaws 97 will guide caps 25 as they drop onto heads 55. Recesses 94 on surfaces 67 of the heads will hold glue which will come in contact with and coat the undersurfaces of cap portions 28.

After feed plate 44 has been retracted, motors 111 will retract pins 107, permitting springs -to close jaws 97 of grippers 96. Grooves 101 of jaws 97 will engage lips 26 of caps 25. Heads 55 will then be retracted downwardly by motor 56, caps 25 remaining in place since they are gripped by grippers 96.

Gripper slide plate 95 will then be moved forwardly by either motor 112 or 113 alone or by both motors 112 and 113, depending upon whether the caps are to be deposited -on a pair of molds 33 in an outer or inner row of turntable 34. As plate 95 reacthes its forward position, motors will momentarily move pins 107 forwardly, spreading jaws 97 of grippers 96 apart and permitting the caps to drop onto molds 33. Plate 95 will then be retracted and heads 55 moved upwardly for the next cycle. Each time heads 55 move downwardly and then upwardly, their actuators 83 will engage 4cams 84, opening their valves 75 to permit charges of glue to be pumped to surfaces 67.

While it will be apparent that the prefererd embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for feeding objects from a storage station to a glue-applying station and from the glue-applying station to a delivery station, a storage rack for retaining a stack of objects, a feed plate slidably mounted below said storage rack, stripping means carried by said feed plate, the feed plate being movable between a retracted position and a forward position, the stripping means being engageable with the lowermost object in the stack when moving to its forward position and being slidable under the stack when moving to its retracted position, the stripped object being supported by the feed plate when moving forwardly, detent means mounted at said glueapplying station and engageable with said object to detain the object at said glue-applying station when the feed plate is retracted, a glue head reciprocably mounted at said glue-applying station between a retracted position and a glue-applying position, the glue-applying position being such that an object released from said feed plate when the latter is retracted will engage the glue head, means carried by the glue head for applying glue to an object dropped thereon, a gripper plate slidably mounted below said feed plate for movement between retracted and delivery positions, a gripper on said gripper plate movable .between open and gripping positions, the disposition of said gripper being such that said object passes through said gripper while approaching said glue head when the gripper is in its open position and the gripper plate in its retracted position, means for moving said gripper to its gripping position while the object rests on said glue head to grip the object, whereby the object will be supported by said gripper when the glue head is retracted, and means for momentarily opening said gripper when said gripper plate has moved to i-ts delivery position, whereby said object may be released at the delivery station.

2. The combination according to claim 1, said gripper comprising a pair of gripping jaws, arms carrying said jaws having a common pivot on said gripper plate and also having facing cam surfaces, spring means urging said arms to their gripping position, said means for moving the gripper to its open position comprising a member engageable with said -cam surfaces and a reciprocating motor carried by said gripper plate for actuating said last-mentioned member.

3. The combination according to claim 1, said glue head being vertically movable between its positions, the glue head comprising conduit means having a glue supply port at the lower end thereof, an upper surface on said glue head for engaging the object resting thereon, a plurality of circumferentially arranged passageways leading from said conduit to said upwardly facing glue head surface, a normally closed Valve in said conduit, and means responsive to the reciprocating movement of said glue head for momentarily opening said valve.

4. The combination according to claim 1, the means for moving said gripper plate between said retracted position and said delivery position comprising a double-acting reciprocable iluid motor, and a second double-acting reciprocable uid motor in tandem with said first motor, whereby said gripper plate may be moved to a second delivery station.

5. In a device for applying glue to successive pairs of circular objects having rims and recesses and feeding said pairs of objects to either of two delivery stations, a base, a pair of racks mounted above said base for holding a pair of stacks of said objects, a feed plate slidably mounted on said base for horizontal sliding movement between a retracted and a forward position below said racks and having a forward portion beneath said racks when the feed plate is in its retracted position, stripping members secured to said feed plate rearwardly of said forward portion and having forwardly facing shoulders engageable with the lowermost pair of objects to push said objects forwardly, the strippers being tapered with the rearward ends ush with said feed plate whereby the feed plate may be retracted, a reciprocable uid motor for actuating said feed plate between :its positions, a pair of retaining plates mounted above the forward portion of said feed plate when the later is in its forward position to retain objects carried thereby, a pair of springlike detents extending through said retaining plates and in the path of movement of objects carried thereby, the detents being engageable with the recesses in said objects as they reach their forward position, whereby the objects will be detained as the feed plate is retracted, a pair of glue heads having upwardly facing surfaces complementary to portions of the undersurfaces of said objects, a vertically mounted reciprocable uid motor for simultaneously moving said glue heads between upper and lower positions, glue inlet ports on said glue heads, conduits in said glue heads leading from said glue inlet 8 ports, normally closed valves in said conduits, means responsive to reciprocating movement of said glue heads for momentarily opening said valves, spaced passageways leading from said conduits to said glue head surfaces, a gripper plate mounted for horizontal sliding movement on said base below said feed plate, two grippers each comprising a pair of arms mounted on a common pivot at the forward end of the gripper plate, a pair of gripper jaws carried by each pair of arms, said jaws having portions engageable with the rims of said objects, the gripper plate being movable between a retracted position in which said grippers are adjacent the upper positions of said glue heads and either of two delivery positions, spring means for urging said gripper arms together whereby said gripping jaws will be in a gripping position with respect to the object rims, cam surfaces on said arms, a pin engageable with the cam surfaces of each pair of arms, means carried by said gripper plate for reciprocating each pin between a position spreading said arms apart and a position permitting said arms to close, and means for actuating said gripper plate comprising two reciprocable uid motors connected in tandem between said base and gripper plate, whereby either or both of said last-mentioned fluid motors may be actuated to move said gripper plate to either of its two delivery positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 445,940 2/ 1891 Salisbury 118-256 981,003 1/1911 Redin 118-256 2,124,674 7/1938 Ray 118-238 X 2,288,224 6/ 1942 Brenzinger 118-236 X 2,297,847 10/1942 Wilckens et al. 221-268 2,349,245 5/ 1944 Campbell 118-211 2,380,212 7/1945 Blaisdell 118-238 X 2,415,03 8 1/ 1947 Rockhill 118-211 2,900,108 8/ 1959 Greene 221-268 3,051,327 8/1962 Goodell et al. 214-1 3,061,116 10/1962 Runge 214-1 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. ROBERT W. MICHELL, Examiner.

L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR FEEDING OBJECTS FROM A STORAGE STATION TO A GLUE-APPLYING STATION AND FROM THE GLUE-APPLYING STATION TO A DELIVERY STATION, A STORAGE RACK FOR RETAINING A STACK OF OBJECTS, A FEED PLATE SLIDABLY MOUNTED BELOW SAID STORAGE RACK, STRIPPING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FEED PLATE, THE FEED BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION AND A FORWARD POSITION, THE STRIPPING MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LOWERMOST OBJECT IN THE STACK WHEN MOVING TO ITS FORWARD POSITION AND BEING SLIDABLE UNDER THE STACK WHEN MOVING TO ITS RETRACTED POSITION, THE STRIPPED OBJECT BEING SUPPORTED BY THE FEED PLATE WHEN MOVING FORWARDLY, DETENT MEANS MOUNTED AT SAID GLUEAPPLYING STATION AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID OBJECT TO DETAIN THE OBJECT AT SAID GLUE-APPLYING STATION WHEN THE FEED PLATE IS RETRACTED, A GLUE HEAD RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED AT SAID GLUE-APPLYING STATION BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION AND A GLUE-APPLYING POSITION, THE GLUE-APPLYING POSITION BEING SUCH THAT AN OBJECT RELEASED FROM SAID FEED PLATE WHEN THE LATTER IS RETRACTED WILL ENGAGE THE GLUE HEAD, MEANS CARRIED BY THE GLUE HEAD FOR APPLYING GLUE TO AN OBJECT DROPPED THEREON, A GRIPPER PLATE SLIDABLY MOUNTED BELOW SAID FEED PLATE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN RETRACTED AND DELIVERY POSITIONS, A GRIPPER ON SAID GRIPPER PLATE MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND GRIPPING POSITIONS, THE DISPOSITION OF SAID GRIPPER BEING SUCH THAT SAID OBJECT PASSES THROUGH SAID GRIPPER WHILE APPROACHING SAID GLUE HEAD WHEN THE GRIPPER IS IN ITS OPEN POSITION AND THE GRIPPER PLATE IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GRIPPER TO ITS GRIPPING POSITION WHILE THE OBJECT RESTS ON SAID GLUE HEAD TO GRIP THE OBJECT, WHEREBY THE OBJECT WILL BE SUPPORTED BY SAID GRIPPER WHEN THE GLUE HEAD IS RETRACTED, AND MEANS FOR MOMENTARILY OPENING SAID GRIPPER WHEN SAID GRIPPER PLATE HAS MOVED TO ITS DELIVERY POSITION, WHEREBY SAID OBJECT MAY BE RELEASED AT THE DELIVERY STATION. 